On Sunday we had a Christmas Dinner 'Phase 1', as the mother in law was coming to lunch. It's quite possible I'm a lone voice in stating that I enjoy doing the prep work and cooking of Christmas lunch. I don't mind it at all. In fact, I get quite a kick at seeing everything out on the worktops, ready to be chopped and cooked. As long as I'm left alone to get on with things, then I am as happy as can be.
We have chicken in this house. Why? The husband and The Girl prefer it, and I'm not bothered either way. There is always less waste from a chicken for us, one year I remember chucking out so much uneaten turkey it was shameful. So chicken it is! Like everyone else, I like to set the table and make it feel more special than a normal Sunday lunch. This year I really hadn't given it too much thought at all, but after seeing photos of the Chanel show in a magazine this week, I thought that I could do a bit of a scaled down version of decorations they'd had as a centrepiece.
Easy peasy to do. Use glass if possible, as it adds a twinkly sparkle, then put a glass vase or pedestal dish on top of a cake stand (my pedestal dish came from The Range last year, and cost £6). Cut roses and foliage down to fit your chosen vessel, then place atop the cake stand. Decorate the cake stand with fresh fruit and a few nuts in shells, adding a few fronds of ivy softens the effect. I pushed clementines underneath the cake stand. It took about 10 minutes to set this up. I considered frosting the grapes first, but decided not to bother.
Once finished using as a centrepiece, dismantle, and use the flowers elsewhere. I've left the fruit on the cake stand because it looked pretty. It's taller and fancier than I would normally do - with a tiny girl in the house you have to think about potential accidents - but I loved it. The table looked fussy, but quite decadent. When the food arrived, the table was pretty full.
I will keep the table simpler this coming Sunday. I liked this decoration, but I think I'll have low vases along the centre of the table instead. Less formal and less of a worry when a certain tiny girl suddenly lunges forward to grab crackers!We had Christmas pudding too, which I flamed. Last year I nearly took my eyebrows off, so this year I was more reserved with the brandy when heating it. And that explains why you can just about make out a tiny blue flame on the right, by the time the camera was ready the flames had all but burnt out. (large plate vital, if you don't burn off your eyebrows then you will risk burning your hand carrying it into the dining room. Who thought a pud could be such a health & safety risk?!)
I'm looking forward to doing this all over again on Sunday!